The Usual Suspects
In the 1930s when many European countries were rapidly growing fascist parties, Pelham Wodehouse usefully caricatured Mosley's home-grown Supermen; Roderick Spode and his Blackshorts. After that tiny seed was planted in the national consciousness, the English could never really quite take domestic fascism seriously. When war started, the movement fizzled out. There were no imprisoned martyrs, no concentration camps full of Blackshirts. Mosley himself was not interned until 1940, and released in 1943. Ridicule is a powerful weapon.
I wonder how different things would have been had we adopted the European solutions of internment and prosecution? Would it have strengthened the fascists, polarised our society?
I ask because Germany is considering outlawing the NPD, the fascist party that regularly gains up tp 9% of the popular vote in parts of Germany. EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini (who, under the proposed constitution, will be our Justice Minister's boss) has commented that five EU states face serious problems from the far-right; Germany, France, Italy, Denmark and Belgium. A new Euro-law has been hinted at. Ah. The usual suspects. All had a history of fascist parties in the 1930s that briefly enjoyed a few days in the sunshine - in the case of France, Denmark and Belgium as collaborators. Many of whom were later shot.
The EU has already signed the UK up to a law that makes incitement to racism and xenophobia a crime punishable by up to three years in prison. It's not a law we have any great need for in the UK.
If Mr Frattini has his way, the EU could well see a law that outlaws the BNP. I can think of no other measure that would give this little fringe party the respectability it desperately seeks.
3 comments:
And we are being softened up for it if the Panorama programe 'Weekend Nazis' is anything to go by last night, having been a re enactor in my youth, where the beer, young women and ritualised violence were the main attraction, I can look askance at a group that likes to re enact the waffen SS, and some of the views expressed were certainly racist, but certainly not out of place in many pubs, working or middle class. The interviewer resorted to secret cameras, which had drunken voices in almost total darkness, is this the next step for the general population, we have had various Muslim clerics getting plenty of air time protesting about their comments about Jihad against the West being taken out of context on secret recordings to the extent that the Police proposed to take CH4 to Court. These clerics have proved their actions speak as loud as their rhetoric, with the London bombings, when the re enactors of the Waffen SS head into Bradford, they can be clapped in irons under incitement to racial hatred. In the meantime they are entitled to talk utter bollocks to their hearts content. As the interviewer kept saying its a free country
Does the Charter of Fundamental rights not include the "right" to express one's opinion and form one's own political party? Because if it doesn't then it really should.
Nice R ...I loved Spode and I did a piece on Boris and his travails at the hands of Compass who describe him as un-serious Sad what happend to PG Wodehouse and a shameful day for the unforgiving left....jeez the man made a mistake . I really hope you are wrong about this drift and you briloianly escribe the way our common law comes from below and from life whereas the continental way is top down
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